Makkah transport project to start next year

Riyadh, July 7, 2013

The work on the first phase of the SR62 billion ($16.5 billion) Makkah public transport system project will start by the middle of next year and completed in the next three years, said a report citing a top Saudi government official.

The Makkah public transport system project will include a metro with four lines and 88 stations and a fast bus service network. The project will be completed in 10 years in three phases, the Arab News reported.

"In the first phase, a 30-km line from Um Al-Qura University in Abidiya to Sayeda Aisha Mosque, will be constructed," Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar was quoted as saying in the report.

There will be underground lines in areas surrounding the Grand Mosque until the third ring road, while the lines beyond that region will be built on suspended bridges, he said.

The bus service will be integrated with the metro system covering 65 km between the Grand Mosque and surrounding residential districts, he added.

A consultancy service contract will be signed with a British company for project management. Systra, a French consultancy, and BW Engineers from Germany are also involved in the project, the report stated.